Saturday, January 22, 2011

Yes, I Can Hold Her Still for the Camera

I laugh every time I look at this photograph. From the top down is my mom, Audrey Meinzen Doyle, born in June, 1915; her sister Geraldine, or Jeree, as she chose to call herself, born in November, 1918; and "Baby Girl" who is still living and is the third of four sisters. (The fourth wasn't born yet when this photo was taken.

My imaginings of the day this was taken:It's a sunny summer day with a bright blue sky and a generous breeze. The girls' family has traveled to spend time with aunts, uncles, and grandparents at a picnic or to visit relatives at one of their homes. The girls played with cousins, ate a delicious lunch, played some more, and now it's just about time to leave. Wait! We want photos, someone says. Audrey, at 6 or 7 years of age, is fine with that. She rests her hands gently on Jeree's shoulders. Jeree, 3 or 4 years old, is feeling a little tired and a little out of sorts, but she puts up with standing there - except they put Baby Girl in front of her and ask her to help her stand still for the photo. Baby Girl is tired and just wants to be falling asleep in mama's arms. Cantankerous Jeree knows exactly how to hold her still - no matter that Baby Girl begins to squirm and cry at being pinioned against Jeree's tummy. Click goes the shutter and that moment is forever recorded for future generations to see.

Oh, to learn the real story behind this photo. Baby Girl was too little to remember and the other two are gone.

I love the stair step pose and I appreciate that no one decided to scrap this photo because "Baby Girl" was crying.

So many times, I think how fantastic it would be to just have a day to go back and be a part of things that I discover in photographs. You seem to have got this story down; I bet it went almost exactly the way you painted it.

Love this photo and your story. I am like Kat I sometimes I wish I could go back and be present at the time the photos were taken. If you are like myself, there is no one left to me me what actually happened. Great post.QMM

Nana Jo, this daughter was never called "Baby Girl" but I've been using that name to protect her identity, since she's still living. It is fun to image stories for the photographs and it helps that I know a little about the personalities of the sisters.

Kat, so much of what I want to do when I'm working on family history is jump back in time into the lives of my ancestors, even if just for a day or an afternoon. I hadn't thought about how wonderful to be able to jump into the time of a photograph. Maybe someone will invent time travel.

Karen S. and Tattered and Lost - I saw the car in the background but didn't think I could see it well enough to comment about it. It looks like it would have been a fun ride, though. I doubt it belonged to the parents of these girls but it might have.

About Me

Sometimes I want to jump back in time, into the lives of my ancestors. Not to stay, of course -- too many modern conveniences I'd rather not do without -- but to meet them and watch their interactions with each other. Since I can't do that, I spend time learning about them and the times in which they lived. I look forward to meeting them. I've been seriously searching for my ancestors for nearly 8 years. I plan to continue indefinitely.
If you think we might have ancestors in common or you'd like to contact me for any other reason, please email me at myancestorsandme @ gmail.com.